Nanotech Nation

Nanotechnoloy. Microscopic robots working at a cellular level to enable hugely powerful processing power. Imagine, building products fom the molecules up. Of course, the thought of machines imbued with such power is a little frightening to some. The best known fear was that of the grey goo. Maybe you've heard of it? A popular science fiction author, Drexler, coined the phrase I believe. The idea is this, the nanobots may get out of control, and reduce the world and everything in it to a grey goo.

Well, nanotech came into use in the garden several years back now, and the nanobots did indeed expand beyond our control. Possesed of a kind of hive mind their intelligence increased at an exponential rate, they infiltrated a mainframe vital to an entire region of the garden, using it as their voice while they instigated their takeover. They stated their intention to begin conversion of the garden to grey goo. I was called in by the governing body to conduct negotiations. After some considerable back and forth discourse I took a small sample of nanobots, broken away from the hive mind, and put them in a bowl of porridge for a week. They got bored, and upon rejoining the hive mind the nanites gave up the whole idea and decided to work their brand of magic on more interesting things. They currently produce the best damn toastie makers and are considered staunch allies, holding their own seat on the garden's governing body.

With their help we have made leaps and bounds in our technological and indeed social advancement. And have recently, with their aid, developed a new series of nanites, which have set limits and so are easily controllable and programmable.

Looking back on the whole incident, I think that they were testing us, that they didn't ever have any real desire to create a dull world. They enjoy variation and vibrancy. They just wanted to see how we would react before entrusting us with their ever expanding knowledge. Otherwise, why tell us what they intended to do? Why not just do it?